" Writedowns of goodwill are the same as any other asset impairment." Technically yes, but really no. Most other assets have an objective value. When compani

" Writedowns of goodwill are the same as any other asset impairment." Technically yes, but really no. Most other assets have an objective value. When companies buy others, they are buying brand, talent, future revenues, often at crazy massive premiums. That's where the inherent intangibility comes in. There's just no way for investors to really nail down why a given acquisition might be had for this or that much. Companies are bought for often nebulous reasons, so these writedowns often skew the earnings in weird ways. So it's the inherent intangibility in that price ... that drives the ambiguity of a lot of goodwill. But I get what you are saying, technically it's not rocket science.